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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Carbon Capture on Air Liquide United States Gulf Coast Steam Methane Reformer using the Cryocap TM Flue Gases Process

The objective of this DOE-funded project is to execute and complete a Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study for a commercial-scale carbon capture project for Air Liquide’s Steam Methane Reformer (SMR) located at La Porte, near Houston, Texas. The Host Site is one of Air Liquide’s largest SMR assets, and supplies hydrogen to the Air Liquide Gulf Coast Hydrogen System, which serves refiners and petrochemical manufacturers through an existing H2 pipeline spanning roughly 200 miles from Port Arthur, TX to Bay City, TX. The Host Site produces up to 116.5 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gaseous hydrogen and emits approximately 950 ktpy CO 2 at the nameplate capacity. The evolving importance of decarbonized H2 for both existing customers and new markets, as well as the availability and intent of prominent third-party partners to transport and sequester captured CO 2 in locally abundant geological sites for 45Q credits, make the AL US Gulf Coast SMR an ideal site for the proposed FEED study. The envisioned carbon capture system is based on Air Liquide’s proprietary Cryocap™ Flue Gas (FG) process. The integration of the Cryocap™ FG technology to the existing SMR would enable the capture of 900 ktpy of CO 2 , with a net carbon capture rate of >95% and with minimum impact on the levelized cost of hydrogen produced at 99.97% purity.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Challenges in Product Selectivity for Electrocatalytic Reduction of Amine-Captured CO 2 : Implications for Reactive Carbon Capture

CO 2 is a potential feedstock for carbon-based fuels or materials, but is only available in dilute streams. Integrated processes for CO 2 capture and conversion directly valorize the CO 2 captured by sorbent materials, skipping the energetically expensive sorbent regeneration step. Amines are the most heavily studied liquid-phase sorbent materials for CO 2 capture from dilute streams. Amines react with CO 2 in a 2:1 ratio to form the corresponding ammonium carbamate. Ammonium carbamate [NH 4 ][H 2 NCO 2 ] was tested as the substrate using the highly selective and robust CO 2 -to-formate reduction electrocatalyst [( tBu POCOP)Ir(H)(NCCH 3 ) 2 ], where ( tBu POCOP) is the tridentate pincer ligand 2,6-bis(di tert -butyl-phosphonito). When ammonium carbamate was used as the substrate instead of CO 2 , only hydrogen was produced. An equivalent electrolysis with ammonium hexafluorophosphate with CO 2 also resulted in primarily hydrogen. Methyl carbamate and urea were also tested as substrates as proxies for carbamate that do not contain an equivalent of ammonium, and there was also negligible reduction to carbon-based products. These results indicate that the loss of selectivity observed for aminecaptured CO 2 , or ammonium carbamate, is likely due to the generation of the acidic ammonium equivalent as well as the greater challenge of reducing carbamate compared to CO 2 . This study illustrates that catalysts with high selectivity for concentrated CO 2 can favor hydrogen evolution and loss of carbon-based products when amine-captured CO 2 is used instead.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Carbon Capture and Utilization for Protein and Fatty Acids

The unlimited release version of the final report for the "Carbon Capture and Utilization for Protein and Fatty Acids" project. This project advanced an integrated open raceway algae cultivation and processing system to engineering scale for carbon capture and utilization (CCU) from the flue gas of a naphtha-fired power plant.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2024

Advanced Sensors for In-Situ Amine Degradation Monitoring in Post-Combustion Carbon Capture

In order to improve the long-term performance of post-combustion carbon capture technologies, improvements to the detection of solvent degradation or reduction in CO2 capture efficiency are necessary. A pair of sensors were deployed to the National Carbon Capture Center’s (NCCC) to monitor CO2 capture and solvent degradation. The CO2 sensors were located to measure before capture and after capture concentrations of CO2 to measure the capture efficiency of the solvent system. Amine degradation sensors were located at four locations along the main solvent lines corresponding to CO2 loading and temperature: hot rich, cold rich, hot lean, and cold lean. Experimental results from laboratory tests using the sensors are shown, along with prototype designs that were deployed to the field site.

Brister, Matthew↗
DOE OSTI2024

Examining the Reactions of Ethanolamine’s Thermal Degradation Compounds in Carbon Capture through 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR

In amine scrubbing carbon capture, concerns about amine solvent degradation include whether it can affect the ability of the solvent to capture CO 2 . This study examines the interactions between the three most reported monoethanolamine (MEA) thermal degradation compounds namely, oxazolidine-2-one (OZD), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-ethylenediamine (HEEDA), and N-(2- hydroxyethyl)-imidazoline-2-one (HEIA) with CO 2 in the presence and absence of MEA. We compared 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, and heteronuclear single-quantum coherence (HSQC) NMR for neat OZD, HEEDA, and HEIA samples with CO 2 -loaded samples to observe changes in protonation and unique carbamate species formation. We found that OZD and HEIA did not directly react with CO 2 or undergo proton shifting based on our comparison of the neat OZD and HEIA samples with CO 2 -loaded spectra. However, we observed that the OZD can protonate when sparged with CO 2 in the presence of MEA, which suggests that the OZD acts as an intermediate. The NMR spectra for HEEDA indicated that HEEDA directly reacts with CO 2 at both amino groups and can protonate. In the presence of MEA, HEEDA and MEA can act like a solvent blend, resulting in multiple carbamates forming within the solvent. The neat HEIA spectrum, compared with CO 2 -loaded HEIA spectra, revealed similar results as OZD, where it does not react with CO 2 or protonate directly. However, HEIA does not protonate in the presence of MEA. These degradation compound reactions can increase the number of general equilibrium reactions during carbon capture and impact the model MEA solvent. This work helps provide a more complete picture of the reactions as the solvent degrades. Although this study examines CO 2 effects on thermal degradation products for MEA, other amines such as piperazine or 1- amino-3-propanol will degrade, and the degradation may speciate similarly with CO 2 . Furthermore, this study can impact and improve process models by assessing the degradation compounds’ reactions with CO 2 and potentially incorporating them into the model based on a neat solvent.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage in Hydrogen Production: A Combined Techno-Economic and Life Cycle Assessment

This paper presents a coupled techno-economic and life cycle assessment of “blue” hydrogen to be produced at a hydrogen facility through steam methane reforming (SMR) equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Blue hydrogen was modeled in ChemCAD, while an integrated asset model represented the carbon capture and storage chain. An unabated carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) configuration release 11.99 kgCO 2 -eq/ kgH 2 . Capturing ≥95% of the CO 2 stream lowers the carbon footprint to 6.59 kgCO 2 -eq/kgH2 but raises the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) from $\$$1.82/kgH 2 (no CO 2 capture) to $\$$3.22/kgH 2 ; the U.S. 45Q tax credit reduces it to $\$$2.59/kgH 2 . Incorporating CCS reduces the levelized net present value from $\$$0.87/kgH 2 to $\$$0.74/kgH 2 , owing to additional capture, transport, and storage costs. Supplying SMR with low-carbon electricity, especially nuclear, wind, or hydro, delivers the lowest carbon footprint relative to geothermal or grid mixes. Sensitivity analysis identifies that hydrogen sales price, internal rate of return, and CCS cost as the strongest economic levers, while electricity demand dominates residual lifecycle emissions. The results underscore a clear trade-off; substantial CO 2 reductions are achievable, but only with higher production costs, making supportive policy instruments, access to clean power, and robust hydrogen markets essential for large-scale deployment of blue hydrogen.

carbon capture↗
DOE OSTI2024

Highly Efficient Regeneration Module for Carbon Capture Systems in NGCC Applications

The objective of this project is to design, fabricate, and test a highly efficient regeneration module capable of providing an ultra-lean absorption solution that is required for capturing CO 2 from dilute sources at 95% or better efficiency. By integrating this advanced regenerator module with SRI International’s Mixed Salt Process (MSP) absorption modules, SRI expects to demonstrate significant progress toward a reduction in cost of capture versus the DOE reference natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plant with carbon capture. SRI designed, built, and tested an advanced stripper to enhance the performance of SRI’s MSP for CO 2 capture – a transformational ammonia-based solvent technology – for natural gas (NG) power sources. The testing of the advanced stripper for MSP was conducted at an SRI site using a simulated flue gas stream equivalent to about 10 kWe. The research work included modeling of the advanced stripper and integrating it with the MSP absorbers; studying the strategies for producing very highly alkaline lean solvent with minimized emissions; operating the stripper with advanced heat integration to improve process efficiencies; and collecting critically important data for a detailed techno-economic analysis (TEA). The project tasks were designed to address concerns relating to scale-up and integration of the technology to NG power plants—more specifically, to maximize the carbon capture efficiency achievable with MSP and identify pathways to achieve higher capture efficiencies and ultimately zero net carbon emissions. SRI teamed up with a process modeling company (OLI Systems), a process and chemical engineering company (Trimeric Corporation), and a cost-sharing commercial partner (Baker-Hughes – a leading multinational company that designs, manufactures, and services transformative energy technologies) to execute the project. The research findings will accelerate the MSP development and pave the way for the technology to reach the DOE’s goal, and ultimately commercialization of the MSP technology for low-cost CO 2 capture from NGCC flue gas and other dilute CO 2 sources.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Enhancement of Carbon Capture Reactor Performance (Final Technical Report)

Significant challenges are still present in post-combustion CO 2 capture and new technologies and advanced components are needed to significantly advance the deployment of CO 2 capture for natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plants. Critical elements of CO 2 capture that still need to be addressed include how to increase CO 2 mass transfer in the absorber column with liquid to gas ratios of <1.2, while reducing the size of the absorber column to reduce capital costs. Research involving chemical mechanism with design, synthesis, and assembly of materials with targeted functionally were combined with advanced additive manufacturing techniques towards development of enhanced CO 2 capture reactors that can lead to safe, reliable, and low-cost carbon capture technologies. The objective of the project was to develop and test novel carbon capture materials and reactor components that contribute to increased CO 2 mass transfer through increased turbulent gas-liquid interface and improved solvent wetting within the absorber. A technoeconomic analysis (TEA) was completed showing how the proposed technology decreases capital costs by reducing the size of the absorber column and the amount of packing required for high CO 2 capture rates. A technology maturation plan (TMP) was also developed to describe the current technology readiness levels (TRL) and outline additional research and development (R&D) needed to further develop these advanced components for NGCC CO 2 capture plants. The successful completion of this project has shown a pathway to reduce the absorber size and associated construction costs of post-combustion NGCC CO 2 capture systems at 97% capture and promote the utilization of abundant natural gas for production of reliable electricity.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Hydroxide Exchange Membrane Carbon Capture (HEMCC) Using Nickel Hydroxide Batteries and Flow-through Membranes

Proposed is an electrochemical nickel hydroxide based hydroxide exchange membrane carbon capture (HEMCC) device for Direct Air Capture (DAC) of CO2. DAC has been identified as one of the key net negative carbon technologies to achieve net zero carbon emissions. Net negative carbon technologies are required to offset continued emissions from dilute CO2 sources such as agriculture and construction. The majority of current DAC technologies at scale (>1 KT∙yr-1) are adsorbent based technologies with significant energy cost. The traditional DAC energy cost is primarily driven by the temperature swing required to regenerate the sorbent and has been shown to be 1.8 MWh·ton-1 at the system level. Electrochemical pH swing devices are a growing research area for carbon capture devices with the goal of lowering the energy cost required for DAC. A pH gradient is built by generating OH- at the cathode and consuming OH- at the anode. An acid-base equilibrium with CO2 allows for the capture of CO2 at the cathode and release at the anode. This extends from other electrochemical CO2 capture devices based on pKa shifts of an electrochemically active organic species allowing for the capture and release of CO2. Electrochemical CO2 capture is considered promising based on potentially low energy costs to capture CO2 in comparison with current temperature swing adsorption technologies. This work explores Ni(OH)2 electrodes to produce the pH gradient for CO2 capture and release. At the cathode NiOOH is reduced to Ni(OH)2 while at the anode Ni(OH)2 is oxidized to NiOOH. The symmetrical electrodes allow for a low voltage requirement; the thermodynamic potential difference of standard electrochemical reactions is zero. Most of the voltage observed is to produce the pH gradient with the remainder driving the polarization of the electrodes. There is a resistance component as well, but this is small in comparison due to the low current densities used in the device, nominally 2 mA·cm-1. Two similar devices are presented, a traditional MEA (membrane electrode assembly) and a flow-through MEA. The traditional MEA separates the two Ni(OH)2 electrodes with an 80μm Piperion® membrane. While the flow-through membrane separates the electrodes with a three piece membrane consisting of two 80μm Piperion® membranes with a porous membrane between them. In the traditional MEA system air is passed over the cathode for capture, while the flow-through MEA the air is passed through the porous membrane isolated from the electrodes. The traditional MEA has been used to establish a baseline performance of the device and has been shown to capture CO2 at an energy cost of 1 MWh·ton-1 at the device level. An understanding has been built around the components of that energy cost including the relationship of flux to current density, effect of a regeneration process, transient battery behavior, and gas losses coinciding with changing the polarization of the batteries. The flow-through MEA looks to address of transient battery behavior and gas losses. It allows for denser, higher capacity electrodes, which can lean on traditional Ni-MH battery technology used in alkaline batteries used today. The higher capacities, limit the transient battery effect on flux in the device. Gas losses are addressed by having a continuous inlet air stream to the device and continuous outlet product.

Buchen, James↗
DOE OSTI2024

Industrial Carbon Capture from a Cement Facility Using the Cryocap FG Process (FE0032136)

The project's objective was to execute and complete front-end engineering and design (FEED) studies for commercial-scale, carbon capture projects that separate 95% of the total CO2 emissions at an industrial facility, producing at least 100,000 metric tonnes/year of CO2 for sequestration. The industrial facility selected is the Holcim (US) Ste. Genevieve cement manufacturing facility (the largest single kiln line in the world), while the carbon capture system selected is Pressure Swing Adsorption system (PSA) assisted Cryocap™ technology developed by Air Liquide. The impact of the project on Environmental Justice and the regional economy was also analyzed.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2024

Industrial Carbon Capture from a Cement Facility Using the Cryocap™ FG Process

The objective of the project was to execute and complete front-end engineering and design (FEED) studies for commercial-scale, carbon capture projects that separate 95% of the total CO 2 emissions at an industrial facility, producing at least 100,000 metric tonnes/year of CO 2 for sequestration. The industrial facility selected is the Holcim (US) Ste. Genevieve cement manufacturing facility (the largest single kiln line in the world), while the carbon capture system selected is Pressure Swing Adsorption system (PSA) assisted Cryocap™ technology developed by Air Liquide. The industrial host site emits approximately 3 million tonnes CO 2 /year based on plant data from 2020-2022. The captured CO 2 will meet the requirements of transport (Pipeline Grade) and geological storage, and the geological storage facilities within 80 miles of the CO 2 source. The impact of the project on Environmental Justice and the regional economy was also analyzed.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2026

Transformational Sorbent System for Post-Combustion Carbon Capture (Final Report)

As part of this DOE Contract (Transformational Sorbent System for Post-Combustion Carbon Capture, DE-FE0031734),TDA Research Inc. developed a transformational sorbent system for post combustion CO 2 capture process that captures more than 95% of CO 2 emissions from a coal fired power plant, recovering CO 2 at 95% purity with a cost of CO 2 capture significantly lower than with amine-based system (~$30 per tonne (MT) of CO 2 captured). TDA’s transformational sorbent system uses a novel, highly stable, high-capacity metal organic framework (MOF) based CO 2 sorbent in a new vacuum/concentration swing adsorption (VCSA) process that allows us to use high efficiency vacuum pumps with a low auxiliary load. A pulverized coal fired power plant equipped with TDA’s transformational sorbent system for post combustion CO 2 capture is expected to efficiently produce electricity with a low Cost of Electricity (COE) and capture greater than 95% of the CO 2 from the power plant exhaust.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2025

Synergistic heat pumped thermal storage and flexible carbon capture system

A power plant system is disclosed. The power plant system includes a combustor configured, a turbine configured to generate electricity, a heat exchanger and a steam turbine, a carbon capture system configured to remove at least a portion of carbon-based gasses from the flue gas downstream from the heat recovery steam generator, and a thermal storage system including a hot storage unit configured to store thermal energy at a hot temperature, the hot temperature greater than ambient temperature. The power plant is configured to operate in at least a first mode for storing thermal energy in the thermal storage system and a second mode for releasing the stored thermal energy from the thermal storage system and during the second mode, heat stored in the hot storage unit is transferred to the carbon capture system.

Bandhauer, Todd M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Molecular Understanding of Nitrogen Oxide Fixation of Water-Lean Carbon Capture Solvents by Atomistic Modeling

Nitrogen oxides, present in flue gas, can cause negative impacts on amine carbon capture solvents by the formation of heat-stable salts and suspected carcinogens. Thus, to maximize the performance of water-lean solvents, a better understanding of this process in these systems is necessary. Here, a computational study for the fixation of the CO 2 capture solvent N-(2-ethoxyethyl)-3-morpholinopropan-1-amine (EEMPA) to nitramine/nitrosamine was conducted. The first step involves the dissociation of the NH bond of EEMPA, in which the homolytic mechanism is energetically more favorable than the heterolytic mechanism. The second step involves radical recombination to form N–N bonds. While NO 2 directly reacts with EEMPA, NO has almost no effect. However, in the presence of O 2 , fixation of EEMPA by NO is enhanced via the formation of N 2 O 4 species. Finally, low reaction energies indicate that the formation of nitramine/nitrosamine may be a reversible process, suggesting that EEMPA could be recovered under thermal stripping conditions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗